7 steps to enlightenment for beginners, steps to achieve them

Buddhism is all about spiritual development. It’s not a religion that includes worshipping gods or goddesses, but it focuses on the person him/herself.

Buddhism focuses on the following things:

Being mindful of your own thoughts and activities (meditation) Living a proper life (morality/kindness) Developing wisdom

According to Buddhist belief, suffering is caused by

The end goal of Buddhism is to achieve nirvana. So what is nirvana?

Enlightenment A view of the true nature of reality Cosmic unity Unconditional love Wisdom Peace Maturity

The Buddha has taught that all our unpleasant experiences result from an uncontrolled mind, and all our pleasant experiences are products of a properly controlled mind. He gave instructions for overcoming the destructive characteristics of our minds and nurturing helpful mental states.

First Noble Truth

To live is to suffer – to endure the hardships of life and the burdens of psychological pains. In particular, suffering, impermanence, and uncertainty (the tilakhana) are always present in existence.

Second Noble Truth

Suffering is caused by desire and repulsion. Wanting something or someone makes you become dependent on that object or person, which means that your happiness is out of your control. This makes you take charge of your own contentment and joy. In fact, it is said that craving ties you to this world and cause you to become reincarnated over and over again.

Third Noble Truth

It’s possible to conquer suffering and achieve happiness in life – by letting go of addictions, and by not holding on to the past or imagining the future. Focusing on the present instead of wasting energy on the past or future will free us from stress and enable us to become happier.

Fourth Noble Truth

The Noble 8-Fold Path will make us escape the cycle of suffering.

Majority of people teach that the self must be developed

8 Limbs of Yoga

These limbs are all connected to each other, and a development in one aspect will lead to a growth in another.

Yama

The way you relate to other people.

Niyama

The way you treat yourself.

Asana

The way you control your body.

Pranayama

Mastering your breathing.

Pratyahara

Turning your attention inward and away from the external world.

Dharana

Unwavering focus on one thing.

Dhyana

Deep meditation.

Samadhi

Enlightenment – transcending the self

There are many methods to achieve enlightenment. For example, if you go by the chakra development route, you will learn that you have to go through the base chakra and work your way up. The base chakra deals with survival issues, the second chakra deals with sexuality and so on, until you end up with the crown chakra, which is synonymous to enlightenment. On other traditions, you become blissful when you achieve a deep communion with God through rituals, service, prayer, etc. This book will concentrate on the Buddhist approach with a contemporary twist.

It’s important to keep in mind that enlightenment is very personal. People have different ideas about it so you don’t have to match other people’s experiences to be sure that you have reached your own enlightenment.

It’s difficult to describe just what being enlightened is, so you have to experience it yourself. But to give some clues, enlightenment is a state where you experience completion. It makes you aware that everything is made of consciousness, and your consciousness is part of everything. Your view will become altered in a way that you may perceive the true nature of reality, which is different from the normal, everyday reality that majority of people spend their lives in. The experience unifies your fragmented self, and at the same time connects you to a whole that’s bigger than you.

Paradoxically though, enlightenment also releases you from your individuality and it may feel that you have disappeared. The paradox will not matter at this point because your enhanced mind will be able to reconcile the gap.

To become enlightened is to be real – to embody who you really are and not what you or other people think you are. By reaching enlightenment, you will come back as a stronger version of you who is true to your core. This is not a superficial self-help treatment where you pretend to be someone you’re not.